I gasp and turn toward Brooks, but he isn’t seated in the Ferris wheel carriage with me anymore. He’s standing behind me with his hands on my shoulders, nodding with gentle encouragement for me to keep my eyes ahead.
That’s when I realize we’re not on the ride anymore, but we’re standing in the forest, surrounded by our friends while an open fire burns in the center.
Alpha Dawson carries over a cauldron and sets it on the fire before Aurora throws a bag with a mixture of herbs andplants into the pot. It erupts with a puff of vividly colored smoke, and Yvonne begins chanting some words in a different language.
Though I’ve never heard that language before, I understand the words she’s saying as she calls upon the Moon Goddess’s presence to bless the potion that will seal the gate to the underworld.
That’s when I realize that I’m standing in the vision Yvonne had a few months ago. She described her vision to me before—the one that prophesied me emerging as a witch and my mate bond with Brooks.
But her vision ended when she turned her eyes to me. This one is different because even when Yvonne completes her chanting, she glances at me, and the vision continues.
Her eyes flicker to the left, and she nods, so I follow her gaze to find a pair of green eyes staring into the pot. It’s Alpha Thane, but he’s not alone. He lifts a ladle in front of him and passes it to the woman standing beside him.
I look up and meet the woman’s blue eyes, gasping when I recognize them.
That’s when I’m sprung out of the vision, and I’m back on the Ferris wheel with Brooks.
“Rissa…?” Brooks strokes my knuckles with his thumb. “Are you okay?”
Glancing at my hand, I realize he must have been able to see my vision if he was holding it.
“You saw that too?” I ask with a frown, to which Brooks nods.
“You had your first vision,” he says with a proud smile.
Taking a deep breath, I nod and allow the overwhelming sensations to pass.
“I recognize her…the fourth witch that we need to help Emile defeat the demon for good. She’s gonna be Thane’s mate…”
“You recognize her?” Brooks frowns. “Who is she?”
“I don’t know her name, but I’ve seen her visit the clinic before. She was probably Cynthia’s patient, not mine. But it’s been years. I never saw her again.”
“You think she left this pack?”
“Probably.” I shrug. “What do we do now? How do we find her?”
“We’ll have to take this to the elders,” Brooks says, sliding his arm across my shoulders. “Thane will be happy to hear about this.”
“You think so?” I ask as I settle my head on Brooks’s shoulder and stare at the night sky as we ride the Ferris wheel.
“Yeah…he mentioned wanting to settle down, especially since all of us have our mates now. I mean, it won’t come as a surprise that your vision will tell him who his mate will be. I think we all expected it.”
Sighing heavily, I close my eyes and relish the comfort of Brooks’s arm, enjoying our time together while also relieved that I had a vision, and it wasn’t a signal that the demons are coming again.
The comfortable silence that falls over us allows me to open my eyes just as we make another one-eighty-degree turn, and we’re at the peak of the ride. Seeing the village from up here without any interruptions makes me realize that I’m exactly where I need to be.
I’m glad Brooks brought me back to Girdwood, even if we had our fair share of complications in the past. We’ve since overcome all the challenges we faced, and I couldn’t be happier while I get to practice my magic and do what I love the most, and that’s helping people.
When I first thought about becoming a healer at the clinic, I only did it to help others, not realizing that one day, I’d play an important role in saving the entire pack from the greatest threat we’ve ever faced.
What’s even better is that I get to do it beside the man I love, and my lips lift with a warm smile as I turn to him. But he has his eyes closed, and I frown.
“What are you thinking about, Brooks?”
Brooks opens his eyes gently, the pools of silver-gray lighting up with warmth that betrays his usually cold and stoic demeanor. It’s because I know that the man underneath the layers of tough alpha fur is the most loving, caring man I’ve ever met.
“Nothing,” he says earnestly as he absentmindedly strokes my arm. “For the first time in my life, I don’t have any thoughts in my head. No worries. No concerns. Everything just feels…right,” he chuckles. “It’s a strange thing…feeling…”
